Over time I have amassed a good quantity of houses with no mortgages.

Why pay off the mortgage early? 

Living in one unit and renting out the others allows you to deduct 75% of expenses like mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, and shared repairs as rental expenses, while the remaining 25% applies to personal use.

MUCHHHH better and of course that leaves us with plenty of room to pay the mortgage payment so the lender is happy.Btw, I just wrote the Co-Living book for BP that comes out in Spring, you can sign up for it here!

My name and personal cell come up easily.Finding deals: I send letters to people behind on mortgage.

Properties in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas, or SFHAs) must maintain flood insurance if they have a federally backed mortgage.Flood zones still matter for:- Mortgage Requirements: Lenders use flood zones to determine whether insurance is mandatory.- Community Floodplain Management: Flood zone maps are essential for local governments to manage floodplain development and maintain eligibility for NFIP participation.- Risk Awareness: Flood zone designations still help people understand general flood risks in their area.Elevation still matters under Risk Rating 2.0, but its role is handled differently compared to the old system.Under the old system, elevation certificates were often required to calculate insurance rates.

Works best if you trust the flipper.Wrap + Second Position Combo: This is a cool little move—you work out a wrap-around mortgage with the seller, then assign that contract to your borrower, and still lend in a second position for repairs or closing costs.

Here’s the situation:Purchase Price: $540,000Down Payment: 20%Mortgage Rate: 7.125% (30-year fixed)Monthly Expenses (Mortgage, HOA, Taxes, Insurance): $3,706Realistic Max Rent: $3,000As you can see, I’m currently short $706/month even with max rent.

True, but (a) they were typically experienced investors, and (b) today's market includes record prices and high mortgage rates, which is a double whammy. 

Sources for insurance and property taxes: Insurance - ValuePenguin, State Property Tax Rates - Rocket Mortgage.